Racing The Oncoming Storm
by BlondieSheep
Summary: The Doctor and Rose are running. Again. Not a terribly uncommon event in their lives. But, for once, it's not for the sake of their lives. - Ten/Rose One Shot, inspired by Strawberrygina's fanart, 'Date with an Alien', on DeviantArt.


Racing the Oncoming Storm

By CubKitPup

They're doing what has become an everyday occurrence to both of them: running. Their hands beat back the forest's vegetation that stretches across their path, as if to keep them on this planet. But the Doctor and Rose pay no mind as they kick up dirt in their haste. They're short of breath but both are grinning widely. For once, they're not running from danger; just from the weather.

They can hear the thunder rolling behind them and see the lighting flash in the dark clouds that have claimed the sky. Rose glances over her shoulder, wanting to see how far off the storm is. She doesn't see the tree root that has grown into the path. The Doctor's feet easily clear it; Rose's stumble into it. She's falling, certain she's about to have an up-close-and-personal meeting with the forest trail beneath her. Then the Doctor's arms are wrapping around her waist, pulling her up from her potentially muddy encounter. He doesn't break his stride but uses his forward momentum to push her back onto her feet. There's no chance to catch her breath; the Doctor's hand slips into hers and pulls her along for the ride. She wants to ask him to stop but the sight of his manic grin beaming back at her makes her heart beat just a bit faster and she finds a sudden energy that lets her fly beside him.

He pulls her down a turn in the path and the TARDIS is suddenly before them, sitting right where they left her, nestled under the shade of a sturdy tree (one the Doctor remarked was almost as old as he was). Of course, it's still a good distance from them and the storm feels just about ready to break.

"Go!" shouts the Doctor. Not that Rose needed the encouragement. She runs with everything she's got; the Doctor, ahead of her by only a few feet with her hand still tucked into his, is pulling her along after him. They're eating up the distance with their speed but the storm is hovering above them, flashing lightning in triumph because the dark clouds have covered the sky all around them and are just about ready to release their ammo.

Oh, they're so close! Feet away now! The Doctor's free hand reaches into his pocket searching for the key, his pounding feet never faltering. Rose's eyes are focused on the doors of the TARDIS, her mind counting down the moments until she'll be safe within the walls of that odd ship that has become her home.

They've spent all their energy, all their breath, on this frantic run. Their destination is so close; only a few more seconds and they'll reach it. The storm overhead seems to know they're almost there and is preparing to launch its offensive strike.

Will Rose and the Doctor make it?

Nope.

Because, at the exact moment they reach the door, throwing themselves against the wooden sides of the TARDIS, with the key in the Doctor's hand, the clouds finally let loose with their rain. And the shelter of the nearly-as-old-as-the-Doctor tree proves useless as the massive downpour easily brushes aside the leaves to soak the two time travelers in a matter of seconds.

The Doctor and Rose can do nothing more than stand beside the TARDIS, both of them speechless (which is a rare occurrence for just one of them to be, so nothing short of a miracle that the pair of them are at the same time). They stare at each other, blinking away the raindrops that fall into their eyes, until Rose just starts laughing. The Doctor grins at the sight of her and drops the key back into his pocket, figuring that seeking shelter in his ship is a moot point at this time.

Rose just keeps laughing; in fact, she's doubled over with laughter, clutching her aching sides. The Doctor walks over and wraps his arms around his, his intention purely to keep her warm as she is dressed in only a pink T-shirt. However, when his arms are securely around her, Rose lets her legs fold and sinks to the ground, pulling the Doctor down with her.

He starts to object, his mouth opening to explain to Rose that the mud on this planet has the same suit-dirtying-and-destroying-properties as the mud on her planet, but then he falls silent. Because Rose is leaning back into his body and her head is laying on his shoulder. When he looks at her, her body still shaking from her slowing giggles and her cheeks flush with their run, he finds he doesn't care about the mud any more.

So the Doctor relaxes, enjoying the warmth of Rose pressed against his side. He follows her gaze out across the forest and sees the little villages of the friendly aliens they visited a little while ago (aliens that Rose said reminded her very much of some 'teddy-bear' aliens from a movie called 'Star Wars' that Mickey had dragged her to see). He would have liked to stay longer with them; they were quite friendly little fellows. But when their chief remarked about coming storm that would mark the beginning of their wet season, the Doctor couldn't hurry Rose out of there fast enough. If the rains had begun while they were still in the village, they wouldn't have been able to reach the TARDIS until next spring thanks to overflowing rivers and mud slides.

The important thing was that they had made it back to safety. Well! Not quite in time to avoid a good soaking but certainly in time that they're not trapped on this planet.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor pulls his eyes off the landscape stretched out before them and looks down at Rose. "Hmm?"

"Do you think we could come back?" she asks. "Some other point, when it's not pouring, could we visit them again?"

"Of course!" he says. Then he grins at her. "Just as long as you promise not to sneak one into the TARDIS to join your stuffed bear collection."

"Oh no, it seems you've seen through my ingenious plan," Rose says with mock horror. She returns his smile and then buries her face back into his shoulder, her breath raising goosebumps on his neck. "I promise."

Resisting the urge to bury his nose in her hair and discover which scented shampoo she had used that morning, the Doctor let himself be content with resting his chin on top of her head. "Are you cold? The TARDIS has the softest towels this side of the universe… well, because I picked them up from the other side of universe and brought them over here. Funny story about that. So I walked into this non-humanoids only pub and-"

"I'm fine right here, Doctor," Rose says. "I like listening to the rain. Can we stay here a bit longer?"

"Sure we can, Rose," says the Doctor. "Sure we can…"

The pair sat beside the TARDIS, watching as the storm rolled over the alien forest, neither minding the mud sinking through their clothes or the rain soaking their skin; just enjoying the show and the company of each other.

---

Aw, my first Doctor Who fanfiction. Well, first completed one. I had another one or two started before this but I had too much fun with this one and decided to finish it first .

The idea from this one came from an artist from DeviantArt named Strawberrygina. I can't post a link to it on the story but if you search 'Doctor Who Date With An Alien', it's the first piece to pop up; you can't miss it. Or search for Strawberrygina. She's a wonderful Doctor Who artist; you should check her out.

Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who, or the fan art that spawned this idea.


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